


daydream ('bout me)

by shessolovely



Category: Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Homicide investigations include a lot of paperwork, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, Mike Logan drinks respect women juice, One Shot, One Shot Collection, Will this be a multi-chapter one shot collection? I don't know. Come along with me for the ride, author is doing her best, idk where this is going lmao, police precincts, sorry if he's a little ooc, watched l&o for like three days and out of nowhere I felt this need to write this, y'all I love mike logan's hair so much like it's unreal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:27:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28466037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shessolovely/pseuds/shessolovely
Summary: Mike Logan doesn't know a whole lot about anything that's not sarcasm or police work. But he does know he likes bugging his girlfriend late at night.He's lucky she lets him.(might just be a one-shot, might not.)
Relationships: Mike Logan/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 8





	1. i.

**Author's Note:**

> “Hey, hon. You awake?”
> 
> “Mike?” She rubbed her cheek tiredly, body freezing from the lack of warmth in her kitchen. “What time is it?”
> 
> “Late,” he responded breathlessly. 
> 
> “Obviously.”
> 
> “Can I come over?”  
> _________
> 
> I can honestly tell you I have no idea where this is going. Chris Noth in the 1990's was like *chefs kiss* and for some reason I just wrote this. 
> 
> Anyways, happy new year! here's hoping 2021 won't suck as much ass as 2020 did

Her phone was ringing. Why was it ringing? And why was it so _loud?_

She refused to move. Nope. No way. It was the middle of the night, and she was _so_ comfortable in her bed, there was absolutely no way she was picking it up. Whoever was calling would have to wait until the sun was up and _then_ call her like normal human beings did. After a few more seconds, the noise finally quieted, and she sighed in relief, turning over in her bed to snuggle back into her pillow.

_ringringringring_

_‘No.’_

_ringringringring_

_‘Please, God.’_

_RINGRINGRINGRING_

_‘No more noise. No more.’_ When God ignored her pleas and the phone continued to blare through her apartment, she groaned. Huffing angrily, she stomped towards the kitchen and picked up the phone, ready to tell whoever was on the other line to shove their telephone right up their-

“Hey, hon. You awake?”

“Mike?” She rubbed her cheek tiredly, body freezing from the lack of warmth in her kitchen. “What time is it?”

“Late,” he responded breathlessly.

“Obviously.”

“Can I come over?”

“I’m too tired to sleep with you tonight, Mikey. I have to be at the office tomorrow morning and-“

“No I meant-“ He seemed to fumble over his words, causing her to pause as she continued to rub at her face. “I’m wrapping up paperwork for tonight and I just… I don’t feel like going home.”

“What?” Oh, fuck it. She was too tired to argue. Yawning, she agreed. “Sure, I guess.”

“I’ll be there in ten.”

“Mmkay.” Hanging up the phone, she took a peek at the clock. Almost two fifteen. Who knew homicide investigations came with so much paperwork? Shuffling over to her bed, she resisted the urge to climb back in - someone had to let Mike in, after all - and grabbed a smaller blanket and a pair of thicker socks from her dresser. It was February, and she was always much colder than everyone else in the winter months. Mike had a habit of teasing her about it as she pressed up against him for warmth, but she couldn’t find it in her to complain. He was like a portable heater. If it meant she had to endure his teasing in order for him to wrap his arms around her so she’d be warmer, so be it. Pulling the socks on and wrapping herself up in her blanket, she shuffled back towards her living room and flopped down on the couch, sighing contentedly as she curled herself into a ball, letting herself drift in and out of a half sleep as she waited for Mike.

Startling herself awake at the sound of a knock on her door, she swallowed a yawn and blinked at the clock. Nearly two thirty now. She forgot how close the precinct was to her apartment. Slowly moving towards the door, she unlocked and opened it, rubbing at her eyes. Mike Logan stared down at her with a tired but shit eating grin on his face.

“And what are you so giddy about?” She snarked.

“Hmm? Oh, nothing.” The grin didn’t move off of his face. “Had a great time with the paperwork, that’s all.” When she continued to blink at him, he pulled a mock pout. “Aww, what’s the matter? Not happy to see me?”

“Too tired to be happy.” Nonetheless, she gripped her blanket tighter around her and shuffled into him, pressing her face against his chest, wincing as the zipper from his leather jacket brushed against her cheek. “Phone was _so_ loud.” She felt a chuckle rumble from his chest and he placed his arms around her.

“Sorry,” he said in a tone that clearly indicated how _not_ sorry he was. “Are we going in your apartment or do we have to stand in your hallway all night?”

“Sleepy. Bed.” She yawned again, closing her eyes as he practically lifted her up and dragged her back into the living room, placing her gingerly on the couch. Again, she flopped down unceremoniously, curling back up as she heard him shrug his leather coat and suit jacket off.

“Oh, no, no, no.” She whined as he picked her back up. “Don’t sleep on the couch. It’s not as comfortable. You’ve told me so about a million times.”

  
  
“Wouldn’t have this problem if you didn’t choose to call me at two in the morning,” she mumbled into his shoulder before being placed back into her bed. Opening her eyes, she caught the faraway look he was sporting. “You okay?” He grinned again, this one more tired than the last as he plopped down both next to and on top of her, his head near her waist as he shrugged a non-answer. “That’s not really an answer to my question.”

“Shh,” he teased, pressing a kiss to her clothed ribcage. “It’s late.”

“Mikey,” she whined.

“Emily,” he whined back.

“Fine then.” She couldn’t stay mad at him for too long. She was too tired to hold a grudge, instead opting to run her fingers through his hair. He flipped over so his head was on her stomach and his gaze rester on her. She smiled prettily at him, gently smoothing her fingertips down from his scalp to his jaw, her smile widening as he sighed contentedly. “Just wanted to see me, huh? Yeah right. You just wanted someone to pamper you.”

“Just admit it, Em. You can’t resist me.”

“You’re just lucky I haven’t shoved you out of this bed yet.”

“You’ve never shoved me out of bed before.” His mouth curled into a wicked smirk, and she felt her stomach flip.

“That can change if you’re not too careful.” Stifling a yawn, Emily traced along his jaw and watched his eyes flutter shut. “Are you going to lay on top of me all night or are you going to tell me why you bolted over here?” He sighed and moved his forehead against her, pressing another kiss to her rib. “If you don’t want to, that’s okay too.” Mike looked back up at her suspiciously, quirking a brow. She shrugged.

  
  
“Most women wanna talk about feelings all day.”

“It’s nighttime. Doesn’t count.” He didn’t look impressed. She laughed through her nose. “I said if you didn’t wanna, that’s okay too. As long as you don’t yammer into my ear all night and let me get some sleep-“ He mumbled something into her shirt. “What was that?”

“Didn’t wanna be alone, I guess.” Mike’s voice was soft, and she caressed his jaw again. “I can deal with other cases but this one…. Blows.”

“Mm.” Emily worked her way back up to his hair. It was one of his best features in her opinion- made him even cuter when it was mussed up. “Fucked up case?”

  
  
“More than usual,” he admitted. “Dead kid.”

Her hand faltered as the weight of those two words set in. “Oh,” she said lamely. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” His hand ran up her leg, her hip, her waist, until it found hers. She continued threading her fingers through his hair while his thumb ran over the back of her other hand. “Family’s a wreck. To be expected, I guess.” She squeezed his palm. “Plus, your place is closer. Figured I’d get some shut-eye here.” Half assed subject change, but at least she knew why he seemed a bit out of it. She closed her eyes, hand stilling in his hair.

“Yeah.” She felt him move against her and opened her eyes to him moving lower, pressing a kiss to her hipbone before climbing off the bed. “What are you doing?”

“I’ve slept in my work clothes before but don’t feel like doin’ it tonight.” He began unbuttoning his shirt.

“D’you leave some clothes for you to sleep in here?” She yawned, stretching against her mattress. “I think I have one of your shirts here, if you need it.” Mike raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t remember givin’ you one of my shirts.”

“Of course you wouldn’t. I stole it,” Emily responded lazily, hiding her smile into her pillow as he shrugged off his shirt.

“Stealing’s against the law, little lady.”

“Yeah, yeah, Detective.” She waved a hand towards her dresser. “Top drawer. I think I saw a pair of your sweatpants in there, too.” Burrowing herself under the covers, she added, “But I didn’t steal those.” Mike hummed as he pulled on his sweatpants and T-shirt, placing his work clothes on Emily’s vanity and climbed back into bed next to her. “Jesus, it’s almost three in the morning. And I have to get up in a few hours.” She groaned dramatically, burrowing her face into his chest. He laughed.

“Sorry.”

“You’re not.”

  
  
“Damn straight.” Under the covers, he placed a hand on her waist, pulling her closer to him. “Hey, Em?”

“What?”

  
  
“Thanks.”

She wasn’t sure what he was thanking her for, whether it be for listening to his short answers about the case he was currently investigating or if it was for letting him annoy her at 2AM and sleep over at her apartment, but she’d take his thanks anyway. Looking up at him, she leaned up and pressed her lips to his, her hand resting gently on his jaw and neck. He kissed her back, slotting his mouth against hers and running his hand along her waist, other hand threading through the hairs on the back of her neck.

“Night, Mike,” she whispered.

“Night, Em,” he whispered back.


	2. ii.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Well, we- What is that?” Mike pointed at Nina who was sitting innocently in front of the television. 
> 
> “It’s a kid. What, you’ve never seen a kid before?” Emily deadpanned.
> 
> “Is-“ His voice dropped to a whisper. “Is it mine?”
> 
> “She’s seven, Mike. We’ve been dating for less than a year.”
> 
> “Never hurts to be sure.”
> 
> “Christ.”  
> ___  
> Emily's niece comes over for a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy 2021! I got such nice feedback that I figured I'd keep this going for a little! as always, make sure you stay safe during this pandemic and take all precautionary measures. 
> 
> This one's a little long, but hopefully you won't mind!

“Emily, do you have the client folder for the 28th?”

“Yeah, I think so! Just a second-“ Emily reached over the mess of sticky notes and paperwork on her desk, mussing through the various manilla folders perched dangerously at the edge of her desk. “28… 28… Here it is!” Snatching it from the pile, she handed it to her coworker. “I’m lucky they didn’t all fall-“ As if on cue, each file innocently fell of the desk and landed on the ground with a pathetic slap, causing Emily to sigh. Her coworker pat her on the shoulder, offering her a sympathetic look before scurrying away.

She knelt down to the ground right as the phone began to ring. Groaning, she picked it up and wedged it between her shoulder and ear. “This is Emily, how can I help you?”

“Ems!” Emily winced as her sister’s voice screeched through the receiver. “Hi!”

Picking up the folders, Emily stood at her full height. “Hi, Nikki. How’s it going?”

“All right, I’m _so_ ready for this weekend. Oh my God, I’m getting my nails done and then Mac is taking me to this gorgeous place for dinner and then he said he has a surprise for me later on! But honestly Ems, let’s be honest, I’m just hoping he surprises me with…. Well. You know.” Nikki heaved out a dramatic sigh and Emily rolled her eyes, biting her tongue to keep from saying anything rude. Nikki was always overly theatric, opting to drag out every story instead of just getting to the point. “Anyways, you’re ready to pick up Nina from school today, right? She’s excited! Should be a fun weekend with her aunt, she’s been yakkin’ about it nonstop.”

Emily’s brain short circuited. “What? No. That’s not till next week.”

“Uh, no,” said Nikki. “Today’s the-“

“The twenty third!” Emily’s grip on the folders grew impossibly tight. “No! Oh my God! Nikki, what time is it?”

“I don’t-“

“Nicolette I swear to all that is sacred in life if you don’t tell me what time it is and where your daughter’s school is I’m going to reach through that phone and-“

“It’s on 11th street and it’s 2:30,” Nikki quickly supplied. “It’ll take you about twenty minutes to get there to pick her up on time. You told me you wrote the address down on your-”

“Okaygottagoloveyoubye!” Quickly gathering her things, Emily yanked her car keys and the note with Nina’s school address out of her purse before bolting towards her boss’s office, blathering something about a family emergency and sprinted to the parking garage, practically throwing herself into her car and out onto the street. She frantically checked her watch every thirty seconds, both relieved and frustrated that time wasn’t ticking by faster. Turning onto 11th, she had the nagging feeling that she was forgetting something, but couldn’t bring herself to care as her car screeched onto the curb in front of the school. ‘ _And five minutes to spare!’_ She mentally cheered. ‘ _Who is the best, most responsible aunt ever? Me. That’s right.’_

As the bell rang, Emily stepped out of the car, anxiously peering over the mass of students in search of her niece’s brown curls, perking up when she saw a small girl with a familiar purple backpack. “Nina!” She called, smiling brightly as Nina’s eyes lit up and ran into Emily’s open arms. “Hi sweetheart!”

“Auntie Emily!” Nina squealed.

“Hi!” Emily laughed, pressing a kiss to her hairline. “How are you? How was school today?”

“Good!” Nina chirped. “We started learning about pho- photosyn-“

“Photosynthesis?”

“Yeah!”

“And did you like learning about it?” Emily asked, taking Nina’s backpack and small duffel bag and placing them both in the backseat as her niece continued to chatter.

“Yeah!” Nina beamed, climbing into the car. “I didn’t know plants had to eat!” Emily hummed in agreement, stepping into the front seat and turning on the engine, pulling away from the school and back towards her apartment. Nina continued to talk about her day. “They eat the sun!” Emily snorted and peeked at her from the rearview mirror.

“Well, they don’t really eat the sun, Nins. But that’s kinda close.”

“Why can’t we eat the sun, Auntie Emily?” Nina asked.

“It’d be too hot,” Emily replied simply. “Besides, which would you rather eat: the sun or hot dogs?”

Nina paused to think about it, and she snickered. “Hot dogs,” Nina firmly declared. “The sun would probably be too hot. You’re right.”

  
  
“Of course I’m right. I’m your Auntie Emily.”

“Can we get hot dogs? I want ‘em now.”

“Sure thing, honey. Why don’t you tell me more about your day first? We’re almost at my apartment.”

Nina happily filled the car with chatter as Emily drove back to her building, humming in agreement or chiming in where it was appropriate. Pulling around back and into her parking space, she and Nina unbuckled their seat belts and grabbed their things before walking into the apartment building. Nina bolted inside as soon as the door was unlocked, cheering as she jumped onto the couch. Emily laughed, kicking off her flats.

“Make sure you take off your shoes before climbing onto the furniture, please.”

“‘Kay.” Nina kicked off her little sneakers and Emily bent over to pick them up.

“Okay. Are you still hungry? Do you still want hot dogs? Or do you want something else?”

  
  
“Something else!” Nina cheered again.

“What would you like?”

Nina suddenly looked very stumped, and shrugged her shoulders. “I dunno.”

“Okay. Well, why don’t we change into something more comfy and we can walk to the video store down the block to pick out a movie for you.”

“Can it be The Little Mermaid?!” Nina jumped up and down so frantically Emily wondered for a moment if her niece was a cartoon character instead of a human being. “Huh? Please please _pleeeeease?_ ” Leaping off the couch, she bolted towards the door. “Are we goin’ now? Can we?”

“All right, slow it down there Speedy Gonzalez.” Emily picked Nina up and away from the door. “I’m going to change into different clothes and then we’re gonna go. Do you wanna change into a different outfit?” Nina shook her head, bouncing in Emily’s arms. Rolling her eyes affectionately, she pecked a kiss on Nina’s temple and put her down, allowing her to run around in circles while she changed out of her work attire into something more comfortable. The two of them left to go to Blockbuster, picking out a movie for Nina and stopping by the bodega on the other side of the street, grabbing some snacks before getting back to the apartment.

“Okay, let’s get you some dinner. Mac and cheese?” Emily smiled as Nina cheered and popped the tape into the VHS player before beginning to make dinner for her niece. _‘Almost six,’_ Emily thought. _‘Christ, why do I feel like I’m forgetting something?’_ The nagging feeling wouldn’t go away, but she did her best not to pay too much attention to it. It had been a long week at work: she was lucky her head was still sitting on her shoulders. The last thing she needed was more stress. She was drained enough as it was. Finishing up, she fed Nina as the movie played. The two of them were sitting together on the couch, watching Ariel make one ridiculous mistake after another when there was a knock at the door.

“Who’s that, Auntie Emily?”

“I don’t know. Let’s find out, huh?” Emily got up to open the door and her brain once again screeched to a halt at the sight of Mike leaning against her doorframe. “Mike? What are you-“

“Hey.” He leaned down to peck her on the lips before grinning at her. “What?"

“What’re you doin’ here?” Emily froze, the nagging feeling practically screaming at her that the thing she forgot was ultimately very important. “It’s not- I- Did I forget something?” She stammered out. Mike raised an eyebrow at her.

“What am I doin’ here?” He repeated. “We were goin’ out tonight, remember?”

“No,” she said. “I don’t remember.”

“Well, we- What is that?” Mike pointed at Nina who was sitting innocently in front of the television.

“It’s a kid. What, you’ve never seen a kid before?” Emily deadpanned.

“Is-“ His voice dropped to a whisper. “Is it mine?”

“She’s seven, Mike. We’ve been dating for less than a year.”

“Never hurts to be sure.”

“Christ.”

“Auntie Emily!” Mike’s face was comical as Nina leapt off the couch to hug Emily’s leg. “I want a mermaid tail! A sparkly red one!” At the sight of Mike, Nina suddenly shrunk back behind her aunt’s calf, averting her gaze. Emily reached behind her to stroke Nina’s hair, snickering at his expression as she did so.

“Don’t be so shy, Nins. You wanted to know who was at the door, and now you know.” Squatting down, she placed a comforting hand on Nina’s back. “This is my friend, um… Mr. Logan. Can you say hi?” Burying her face in Emily’s shoulder, Nina peeked up at Mike’s face, mumbling a hello before shyly hiding once more. “Oh, c’mon Nina. Nice and clear, please. And don’t say hello to me, I’m not the one who showed up here. One more time. Let’s go.” Emily made her voice as stern as she could without scaring her, and Nina squared her shoulders in response, facing Mike determinedly.

“Hi!” She declared loudly, and Emily laughed. Mike’s face broke out into a grin and Nina looked very proud of herself in return.

“Hi there.” Nodding to herself, Nina decided she was done with the situation and bolted back towards the television, mesmerized by The Little Mermaid. Emily watched her run, smiling to herself as she turned back to Mike, who was starting to chuckle to himself. “So, you’re Auntie Emily, huh?”

“That’s me.”

  
“No relation to Auntie Em from the Wizard of Oz?”

“Quippy today, huh?”

Mike’s grin was getting bigger. “Am I going to have to tie you down so you don’t get sucked up by a tornado?”

“Don’t push it.” Emily turned and walked back into the apartment.

“I mean, really, if there’s a safety concern I feel like I should know about it. Cop and all.” He snickered to himself as he followed Emily into the kitchen. She rolled her eyes as she pulled out a bottle of wine and a corkscrew from the cabinet. “Isn’t drinking on the job illegal?”

She gave him a look as she pushed the corkscrew into the bottle. “I’m not driving anywhere and I’ve had a very long day at work. Long week.” She popped the cork out. “Long life. Feels like eternity.” Reaching into the cabinet again, she grabbed a wine glass. “Want some?”

“No, thanks.” He snuck a look back at Nina. “So what’s the deal here?”

Emily hummed as she took a sip from her glass. “My sister’s kid. She’s got a date tonight with boyfriend number God-knows-what so I’m watching Nina tonight and tomorrow morning.”

“She’s, uh, cute.”

“Mm-hmm.” Emily watched him squirm. “She’s not going to bite you. Well, not anymore at least. We told her not to do that after an incident at school.” He didn’t look impressed. She laughed. “Good Lord, Mike. You deal with murderers and thugs on the daily and you’re acting squeamish around a seven year old girl?”

“I’m not squeamish!” He defended. “I’m just not great with kids is all.”

“What are you talking about? You’re perfectly fine. From what I hear you’re okay at dealing with them. That’s all it is, really. Letting them talk at you while you give ‘em food.”

  
  
“I don’t know what kids like to talk about!” He insisted. Emily took another sip from her glass as she looked over his shoulder at Nina.

“Watch.” She nodded at him before looking back at her niece. “Nina! I have a question for you.”

“What?”

  
  
“Take a look at Mr. Logan.” Nina peered over the arm of the couch before suddenly staring hard at Mike, eyes huge as she looked at him.

“I’m lookin’!” Nina hollered.

“Good God. Why’s she starin’ so hard?”

“Yep. Okay. Tell me… what kind of mermaid tail he would have.” Emily grinned into her glass.

“What?” Mike yelped.

“Can it be sparkly?” Nina asked.

“No,” said Mike.

“Yes,” said Emily.

“Mmkay.” Nina thunked her head onto the arm of the couch and Mike glared at Emily, who shrugged innocently. “I think Mr. Logan’s tail should be purple with blue sparkles.”

  
  
“Thank you, Nina.”

“Y’welcome.” Nina turned on her side to continue watching the movie, and Emily giggled into her sweater as Mike rolled his eyes at her.

“A mermaid tail?” He repeated. “Really?”

  
  
“Hey,” Emily defended between peals of laughter. “Earlier today she was asking why humans couldn’t eat the sun the way plants could and I’ve already been informed that my tail should be orange with yellow sparkles. Kids are funny.”

“I’m a cop, not a mermaid,” he grumbled, and Emily leaned across the counter to trace her fingers along his jaw.

“At least I know you’d be a handsome mermaid,” she cooed at him, kissing him quickly before returning to her wine. “Or merman?”

  
  
“Sounds manlier.”

Her smile faltered. “Sorry about tonight. It’s been crazy at work and I didn’t even remember I was having Nina this weekend, let alone-“ He waved his hand at her, sliding into one of the chairs.

“S’alright. There wasn’t much planned, anyway.”

Emily’s smile didn’t leave her face. “She has to go to bed soon, anyway. You can hang out here if you want? I can get a pizza. Maybe she’ll tell you which Disney prince you should be.” He shrugged off his jacket, smirking at her. She felt her stomach twist.

“Just don’t pop quiz me later. I don’t know any of ‘em.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you have any requests feel free to drop them in the comments below!


	3. iii.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> feat. the classic "what are we?" conversation
> 
> (if you want, you can listen to Gimme by BANKS while reading. I did, which is what inspired this chapter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> set right before mike and emily are official! I've been doing a lot from em's pov but I'll switch to mike's soon, I promise :)

She’s right in the middle of cooking dinner for herself when the phone rings. It always seems like the phone rings right when Emily’s busy, but she pushes the thought to the back of her mind as she wipes her hands on her jeans and picks up the phone. “Hello?”

“Hey, Em.” It’s Mike. She blushes to herself at the sound of his voice and then immediately berates herself because she’s not some lovesick high schooler, she’s a grown woman and usually grown women don’t act this way when the boy they like calls them back.

“Hey, Mike, what’s goin’ on?” She eyes the saucepan she’s sautéing onions in and prays the phone call doesn’t last more than three minutes. The last thing she needs is burnt dinner and the smoke detector going off. She’s always way too short to reach it and the incessant beeping always pisses her off.

“It’s- Well-“ Emily raises an eyebrow at the sound of his stammering. “God _damn_ it,” he mutters, and she thinks he sounds way more frustrated than the last time they talked.

“You okay?” She asks, and she hears him muttering nonsense to himself before he snaps a response.

“Fine,” he says. _Liar_ , she thinks. “I’m comin’ over later. Is that all right?” Emily looks around. She’s not really doing much beyond making chicken and onions for dinner, and she’s already swapped out of her work clothes for jeans and a sweatshirt. At the very most she was planning on watching whatever was on TV with a glass of wine before going to bed.

“Sure, I’m not doing much-“

“I’ll be there at 7:30,” he says and then hangs up the phone and Emily blinks at the phone before hanging up too. He sounded a little angry but he's never taken that tone with her before and she wonders what that means for her. It’s not as though Mike is like any of her girlfriends, who come over to complain and drain Emily’s supply of wine. In reality, she knows what he’s coming over for, and she sighs as she finishes up the onions and pulls the chicken out of the oven, eating dinner in front of the TV while she waits. It’s 7:15 now and she’s procrastinating, opting to drink wine instead of do the dishes. Emily’s almost on her third glass when there’s a knock on the door, and she stands up, taking one last sip before opening the door. Mike is standing there, hair messy like he’s been running his hands through it all day, and he looks both exhausted and angry. She’s not sure what to think.

“Hey,” she says cautiously. “Are you okay?” And that’s all she gets out before he leans down and kisses her suddenly, hands all over her as they stumble back into her apartment. She hears him kick the door shut behind her and logically she knows she should have seen this coming from a mile away. Emily’s at war with herself as she lets him kiss her frantically, her own traitorous hands pushing his jacket off of him as he grabs at her waist, her cheeks, her chest, whatever he can hold on to. On one hand, Emily considers, they’re not even really dating. At least they haven’t talked about it. They’ve gone out two or three times, but these days Mike usually calls her when he wants to sleep with her. On the other hand, he’s over a lot. Emily knows he’s busy as a cop and that he doesn’t exactly have time to figure out his dating life when he’s out solving murders, but part of her wants to scream at him that they might as well say they’re dating anyway considering the amount of time they spend with each other.

Her brain short circuits and she’s suddenly pushing him off of her right as he’s taking off his shirt and he groans a little, looking at her like she’s just committed the worst possible sin. He’s reaching for her again, but she holds up a hand. “Stop!”

“ _What?_ ” He sounds even more angry than he did on the phone, and the part of Emily that’s okay with what’s happening right now notes that Mike is very shirtless and very frustrated and it’s not like she had any plans for tonight. She's a little tipsy anyway and he looks ridiculously attractive, chest heaving with every breath he takes so Emily opts to just throw her rulebook out the window for now. If she wants to talk to him, she might as well do it after.

She grins at him, letting him reach for her again and she says, “Nothing. You just really gotta let a girl come up for air once in a while, that’s all.”

He rolls his eyes at her before kissing her again, arms tight around her waist and she grabs him by the belt loops on his pants and drags him back to her room, letting him unbutton her jeans in the process. Sleeping with Mike is easy, she supposes. He certainly prefers it to talking, which she guesses he won’t be doing much of at the moment. But she’s stubborn and won’t let the issue go, so she waits it out. He’s rough with her tonight but Emily doesn’t mind, deciding to let him do whatever he wants considering the mood he’s in. Besides, if she’s uncomfortable he stops no matter what. Not a lot of guys she knows do that. There’s a slight comfort to that as they both finish and collapse on her bed together, breathing heavily.

“So,” Emily pants. “Are you going to tell me what’s got you all hot and bothered?”

“You mean besides what just happened?” Mike asks, and she laughs even if that is kind of a stupid joke.

“First you call me and tell me you’re coming over without giving me a chance to respond and then accost me in my own home.”

“Oh, come on.” He’s smirking at her now and she swallows and blinks hard, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. “You weren’t complaining a few minutes ago.”

“ _So_ not the point.”

“Just a bad day. I didn’t hurt you, did I?” He sounds a bit concerned now and Emily looks back at him. His eyebrows are knit and she feels her stomach sink a little with worry. Her girlfriends think Mike is a womanizer and that’s partially true (she did too when they first met, but he is _good_ at what he does) but the one thing she doesn’t tell her friends is how considerate he can be. He acts like an asshole sometimes, but he really is a good man. She knits her own eyebrows in return, leaning over and kissing him again, climbing on top of him in the process. He grabs onto her hips, trailing one hand up her back and she feels his eyelashes flutter over her cheek as her hair tickles his face. Pulling away, she smiles gently at him.

“No,” she responds. “I didn’t mind.”

“Good,” he says and pulls her back down towards him, kissing her lips, her cheek, her neck. She closes her eyes and leans into his touch, wondering when she should bring up the whole are-we-or-are-we-not-dating thing. _Now or never_ , she thinks.

“Hey.”

“Mm?” He’s busy smearing a line of kisses down her neck, and she bites her lip.

“Not to ruin the moment, but, um… what are we?” She feels him stop and winces, squeezing her eyes shut to escape the incredulous look she just knows he has on his face. Opening one eye, she finds she’s right. He’s got his mouth open slightly, staring at her like she’s just sprouted horns. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. You should’ve known I was going to ask at some point.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t think you’d ask after sex.”

“Well, I wasn’t going to ask _during_ sex,” Emily argued back, and he actually laughs a little at that one, before turning serious again. “Look, I’m just asking because you’re here all the time, and we met like a month or so ago and we’ve gone out a few times and I know you’re busy as a cop and I’m not asking you to dedicate your life to me or anything, but my Ma’s been asking about the ‘ _boy I’m seeing_ ’-“ she uses air quotes at that one. “-because my sister can’t keep her damn mouth shut because she saw us at that bar we went to, and I haven’t been seeing anyone else and I don’t know if you’ve been seeing anyone else and I also don’t know if you’re one of those weird guys who doesn’t wanna label relationships but I can’t just be used for sex all the time, and-“

“I thought you wanted me to let you come up for air,” Mike says dryly, and she sucks in a deep breath because good _Lord_ she was rambling quite a bit. He laughs at her again, raising his hand to brush strands of hair out of her face and she finds herself smiling dopily at him even though she was _just_ scolding herself for acting like a lovesick high schooler. “Look, I don’t know what we are, but I like ya. Does that count for anything?”

She pretends to think about it. “Not sure,” she says casually. “Maybe we should figure it out over drinks.”

“You just want me to buy you a drink.”

“I don’t want to have to pay for it, no,” Emily agrees before they both chuckle at each other. He leans up to kiss her again and she decides she doesn’t really care what they label whatever relationship they have as long as he’s with her. She kisses him back, nice and slow before she pulls away, getting off of him and grinning to herself at the groan he lets out. She shimmies out of bed, pulling on her clothes and vaguely notes that Mike is watching her change. Attempting to smooth out her hair, she tilts her head at Mike. “I made dinner earlier. Do you want some?”

He grins at her from her bed. “If you just stay in your bra and jeans forever, then I’ll do anything you want.” She giggles at him and then yelps in surprise as he reaches out, looping an arm around her waist as he pulls her into his lap. Emily places a hand on his jaw and continues to kiss him before smacking him lightly on the chest. She grins at him as he pouts.

“Come on. If you want round two then I have to at least have a snack.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> stay safe during covid! let me know what you think :)

**Author's Note:**

> I love to hear feedback from readers! Let me know what you thought in the comments :) 
> 
> Also, please remember to wash your hands, wear a face mask, social distance, and get a covid-19 test if possible! This pandemic is awful and we all need to do our part to help end it. Happy holidays and celebrate safely!


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